Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, has left the Chamber, but I will respond to Deputy Billy Kelleher's remarks. There are 1.8 million people with medical cards, the highest ever figure. As chairperson of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, I give the Deputy an assurance that we will invite HSE personnel with responsibility for medical cards to attend. We will discuss the issues of discretionary medical cards and doctor groups and examine how these personnel adminster the scheme to provide medical cards for those who require them. I share the Deputy's views and concerns, in particular that patients with cancer should not have to endure hardship, suffering and pain of being told by the HSE they cannot have a medical card. As the Deputy knows, committee members have been to Finglas and will return there. We will bring in the relevant personnel to discuss the issue with them.

People must be at the heart of our system. In this regard, I refer to patients and service users.

I highlight the fact that the Minister for Health is delivering reform. There has been a massive outcry on the part of his predecessors, those who served in previous Governments and those on the Opposition benches about what he is doing on the issue of reform. I ask those to whom I refer to reflect on what they did and achieved when in government. If a Minister cannot make decisions or prioritise projects, he or she should not be in office. Certain Members opposite sat in Departments and, as Ministers or Ministers of State, made decisions about prioritising and fast-tracking projects. That is the way it should be.

We endured 14 years of procrastination and obfuscation under successive Fianna Fáil Governments. Reports were compiled; committees were established, and there was "mockya" reform. Money was thrown into the black hole that was the health system. We are spending €13.4 billion on the health system. Ireland is not the state of California, the continent of Africa or the continent of Europe. It is only part of the continent of Europe, but it is spending €13.4 billion on the health system. Is Deputy John McGuinness unhappy that the hospital in Kilkenny has been prioritised by the Minister? Was I unhappy that one of the Minister's predecessors, Deputy Micheál Martin, invested in Cork University Hospital? The answer is no. I did not criticise that investment.

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